The Center for Medical Humanities &Ethics at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio will host the 4th Annual Community Service Learning (CSL) Conference, "Better Together: Academic-Community Partnerships to Improve Health" on April 7, 2011 in San Antonio, Texas. The conference is free to encourage attendance by health professional students and community organizations and will increase awareness of health issues among minority and underserved populations, introduce best practices for addressing health issues in minority and underserved communities, and encourage participation in health careers among minority and underserved populations. The objectives are 1) to review successful methods of community-campus engagement that address health disparities, particularly among minority and other medically underserved communities;and 2) to build capacity for preventive health by strengthening future health care providers'commitment to work with medically underserved populations throughout their careers. The conference will share the latest research-based information and best practices in community service learning across the disciplines of medicine, nursing, dentistry and allied health, with a focus on effective community-campus partnerships;promote the incorporation of community service learning principles, including addressing the needs of health disparity populations, into health science center curricula and continuing education activities of health professionals;and bolster ongoing dialogue and linkages with community organizations who address health disparities among medically underserved populations and support the capacity building initiatives of these organizations. The 18th Surgeon General of the United States, Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, is being invited to speak about the role service can play in the field of medical education and health care practice as the conference's keynote speaker. Dr. Benjamin will speak about her experiences with service and preventive health, which include membership in National Health Service Corps and founding and running a rural public health clinic in Alabama. A pre-conference workshop will describe one national expert's experiences following disasters in New Orleans and Haiti to teach practice-based mentoring strategies. A community partnership panel will feature academic-community partnerships and teach best practices for partnering with community organizations. Skill building workshops will provide hands-on education to develop effective partnerships that address expressed community needs. A student poster presentation will showcase student CSL projects, with the top projects presented in a student panel. Community partners will promote their organizations as service sites and connect with health science center students and faculty. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The Center for Medical Humanities &Ethics at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio will host the 4th Annual Community Service Learning (CSL) Conference, "Better Together: Academic-Community Partnerships to Improve Health" on April 7, 2011 in San Antonio, Texas. Among future and practicing health care providers, this free conference will increase understanding of the social determinants of health for medically underserved populations, share best practices for addressing health disparities in minority and underserved communities, and encourage participation in health careers among minority and underserved populations.